Big data is a hot topic in computing. Most research has focused on automatic
methods of data processing such as machine learning and natural language
processing. Another important direction of research is
how to build systems that can store and process massive data sets.
An example here is map-reduce.

Unfortunately, what has been lost in the discussion
is how people should use data to perform analysis and make decisions.
It is unlikely that people will be replaced completely by automated
deciion making systems in the near future. Hence, an important
question to ask is what should people do and what should computers do?
In this talk, I will discuss promising approaches for building interactive tools
that allow people to perform data analysis more easily and effectively.